5 - The Purpose of the Little Blue Fish
That evening, the woman came upon the outer gate of the village of Bree. They entered the door of the Prancing Pony just as the clouds burst into rain.
"What timing!" Green said.
"Really! Why couldn't it have started just a little sooner!" The rest of the company glanced at Blue and rolled their eyes.
They made their way through the crowd to the back of the pub. The woman in black nodded at a few people as she went past.
Sitting down at a large round table, the four emptied their pockets. They created a pile of gold coins and jewels in the center, though the hobbit's gold ring was not one of them.
"Whoa," gasped the little Blue Fish. "You did not get all that from our rounds in the Shire, did you?"
"No, my dear Fishy," answered Black. "We had a few unexpected tricks before we picked you up." As she said this, a woman in a deep purple cloak appeared at the table.
"Hey, Violet," greeted Green.
"Green Machine! How ya doin'?" Violet asked, pulling out a small wooden chest from inside her cape.
"Same old, same old," Green replied, as Black sorted the gold into the chest. "Caked in dirt, hungrier than Hades, and longing for a good soak in the tub."
"Yeah, but loving life, right?" Violet smiled.
"You know it."
Black finished filling the chest and handed it back to the woman in purple, who then covered it with her cloak.
"Be back in a few," she said.
"What was that all about?" asked Blue. Red got up to order drinks, but no one answered. "You people never tell me anything!" she sighed. Still they said nothing. "Puh," she muttered, "I should just go back to Mirkwood."
"Missin the Elf?" questioned Black as Red returned with four mugs of beer.
"Excuse me?"
Black took a sip out of her mug and peered at the Fish out of the corner of her eye. "Getting pretty cozy with that prince they got over there, I heard."
"What?.I never.I don't.you heard wrong."
"No use denying it. I can see you blushing."
"No, I'm not!"
"Let me tell you something," said Black as she leaned across the table. "I've been a traveling pickpocket for almost twenty years now. I've gone around the world searching for its outcasts, and I give them a second chance. I give them the opportunity to start over. I am offering you a new life. That new life just happens to be a pickpocket's. But if this is not to your liking, you can always go back to the Fairies in the Forest."
Blue said nothing and Black smiled.
"I don't pick up just anybody, though," Black continued, leaning back against the wall, "just the ones with thieving potential. I picked you up because I heard about your little obsession with water; your love of the lake; your frequent nightly excursions in Mirkwood's rivers."
"Pardon me?" shouted the Fish. "I never had any 'nightly excursions!'"
"It's no use trying to hide it," Black interrupted, "I've got witnesses."
Blue sat there with her mouth wide open and eyes wide in shock. "Who? Did the elves really--"
"No, no. They were referring to the morning your friend 'rescued' you from the rain."
"Oh!"
"'Cuts through the water like a shark,' they said. Quite the swimmer, I gathered. Then it dawned on me: with a swimmer in our ranks, a whole new market would open to us."
"I don't understand," Fish said, shaking her head.
"We've been trying to get at those barrels of wine and other goods King Thranduil's halls for quite sometime now. We've never been able to do it though. Security's too tight 'round the front entrance. But with a half- fish," Black grinned, "we might be able to think of a way in."
"So, you want me to steal barrels of wine?" asked Blue. "Like that hobbit did once?"
"Ya," said Black, "and they've also got a great stash of gold in those caves."
The blue woman stared at the others in disbelief. She knew these people were pickpockets, but she had no idea they did jobs of that magnitude. The wood elves of Mirkwood guarded their gold with their lives.
Going back into those trees made her nervous. Something was left behind in that forest. She wasn't welcome there, save by one. She wanted to leave, yet at the same time she couldn't bring herself to do it, until a mysterious woman in black approached her. The temptation in what she could gain in leaving eventually overpowered her care to stay. The thought of going back to rob the very people she had lived with for so many years . . .it wasn't that she didn't want to do it. It was the consequence of if she was caught in the act by the one who wished she'd stay. If the king caught her, she would be sent to the grave.again If the prince caught her . . .she wasn't sure what would happen, but it would most likely be the exact opposite and more painful for the both of them. What did she have to lose?
"Alright."
- - - - - - -
That might have been a bit confusing, but it will make sense later (especially if you read Book of Blue, which is now up and free to be read. I highly recommend reading it. If interested-which you should be-it is written by StaryNight and titled: Book of Blue. I must say it is much more serious than this little fic I have here and much different. I am sure, however, that you will enjoy it.)
Questions, comments, concerns or dilemmas? Please send me a review and I will fix all your worries!
That evening, the woman came upon the outer gate of the village of Bree. They entered the door of the Prancing Pony just as the clouds burst into rain.
"What timing!" Green said.
"Really! Why couldn't it have started just a little sooner!" The rest of the company glanced at Blue and rolled their eyes.
They made their way through the crowd to the back of the pub. The woman in black nodded at a few people as she went past.
Sitting down at a large round table, the four emptied their pockets. They created a pile of gold coins and jewels in the center, though the hobbit's gold ring was not one of them.
"Whoa," gasped the little Blue Fish. "You did not get all that from our rounds in the Shire, did you?"
"No, my dear Fishy," answered Black. "We had a few unexpected tricks before we picked you up." As she said this, a woman in a deep purple cloak appeared at the table.
"Hey, Violet," greeted Green.
"Green Machine! How ya doin'?" Violet asked, pulling out a small wooden chest from inside her cape.
"Same old, same old," Green replied, as Black sorted the gold into the chest. "Caked in dirt, hungrier than Hades, and longing for a good soak in the tub."
"Yeah, but loving life, right?" Violet smiled.
"You know it."
Black finished filling the chest and handed it back to the woman in purple, who then covered it with her cloak.
"Be back in a few," she said.
"What was that all about?" asked Blue. Red got up to order drinks, but no one answered. "You people never tell me anything!" she sighed. Still they said nothing. "Puh," she muttered, "I should just go back to Mirkwood."
"Missin the Elf?" questioned Black as Red returned with four mugs of beer.
"Excuse me?"
Black took a sip out of her mug and peered at the Fish out of the corner of her eye. "Getting pretty cozy with that prince they got over there, I heard."
"What?.I never.I don't.you heard wrong."
"No use denying it. I can see you blushing."
"No, I'm not!"
"Let me tell you something," said Black as she leaned across the table. "I've been a traveling pickpocket for almost twenty years now. I've gone around the world searching for its outcasts, and I give them a second chance. I give them the opportunity to start over. I am offering you a new life. That new life just happens to be a pickpocket's. But if this is not to your liking, you can always go back to the Fairies in the Forest."
Blue said nothing and Black smiled.
"I don't pick up just anybody, though," Black continued, leaning back against the wall, "just the ones with thieving potential. I picked you up because I heard about your little obsession with water; your love of the lake; your frequent nightly excursions in Mirkwood's rivers."
"Pardon me?" shouted the Fish. "I never had any 'nightly excursions!'"
"It's no use trying to hide it," Black interrupted, "I've got witnesses."
Blue sat there with her mouth wide open and eyes wide in shock. "Who? Did the elves really--"
"No, no. They were referring to the morning your friend 'rescued' you from the rain."
"Oh!"
"'Cuts through the water like a shark,' they said. Quite the swimmer, I gathered. Then it dawned on me: with a swimmer in our ranks, a whole new market would open to us."
"I don't understand," Fish said, shaking her head.
"We've been trying to get at those barrels of wine and other goods King Thranduil's halls for quite sometime now. We've never been able to do it though. Security's too tight 'round the front entrance. But with a half- fish," Black grinned, "we might be able to think of a way in."
"So, you want me to steal barrels of wine?" asked Blue. "Like that hobbit did once?"
"Ya," said Black, "and they've also got a great stash of gold in those caves."
The blue woman stared at the others in disbelief. She knew these people were pickpockets, but she had no idea they did jobs of that magnitude. The wood elves of Mirkwood guarded their gold with their lives.
Going back into those trees made her nervous. Something was left behind in that forest. She wasn't welcome there, save by one. She wanted to leave, yet at the same time she couldn't bring herself to do it, until a mysterious woman in black approached her. The temptation in what she could gain in leaving eventually overpowered her care to stay. The thought of going back to rob the very people she had lived with for so many years . . .it wasn't that she didn't want to do it. It was the consequence of if she was caught in the act by the one who wished she'd stay. If the king caught her, she would be sent to the grave.again If the prince caught her . . .she wasn't sure what would happen, but it would most likely be the exact opposite and more painful for the both of them. What did she have to lose?
"Alright."
- - - - - - -
That might have been a bit confusing, but it will make sense later (especially if you read Book of Blue, which is now up and free to be read. I highly recommend reading it. If interested-which you should be-it is written by StaryNight and titled: Book of Blue. I must say it is much more serious than this little fic I have here and much different. I am sure, however, that you will enjoy it.)
Questions, comments, concerns or dilemmas? Please send me a review and I will fix all your worries!